Machine for taking tobacco out of cigarettes



May 1, 1934. 0. LEGG MACHINE FOR TAKING TOBACCO OUT OF CIGARETTES 4 Sheets sheet 1 Filed Oct. 21, 1931 May 1, O LEGG 1,956,925

MACHINE FOR TAKING TOBACCO OUT OF CIGARETTES Filed Oct. 21. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 45%46 W J6 I 95 7%! 4 May 1', 1934. O. LEGG MACHINE FOR TAKING TOBACCO OUT OF CIGARETTES Filed Oct. 21, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 1, 1934. o. LEGG MACHINE FOR TAKING TOBACCO OUT OF CIGARETTES Filed Oct. 21, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 1, 1934 UNETE?) STATES PATENT GFECE Oscar Legg, Clerkenwell, England Application October 21,

1931, Serial No. 570,236

in Great Britain October 29, 1930 10 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for taking out the tobacco from cigarettes, for example, from cigarettes that have not been properly manufacturecl.

It is already known to pass the cigarettes beneath circular cutters having a knife edge, which cutters rotate at a high speed and cut the paper. The cigarettes are then placed in the upper end of a sieve, in the form of a hollow cylinder, usually made up of a number of fiat sides to form a polygon and mounted to rotate on an axis ar ranged at an angle to the horizontal so that the cigarettes will travel slowly along it to the lower end. The tobacco is separated from the paper and falls out through the perforations of the sieve while the paper travels slowly along the inside of the sieve and falls out at the 10*: er end.

With the apparatus already known it has been found that the movement of the sieve does not i remove all the tobacco from the paper and consequently a valuable quantity of tobacco passes out at the end or" the sieve with the paper. It has also been found that the sharp knife edge or" the cutter, in cutting the paper, frequently presses the cut edges into the tobacco so that the paper remains close around the tobacco instead of opening out. Consequently, when the cut cigarettes are placed in the sieve the tobacco is not always separated from the paper. Moreover the sharp edges of the cutters soon become blunt and will not cut the paper in a satisfactory manner so that it is necessary to sharpen the cutters at frequent intervals of time.

The object of this invention is to overcome the above disadvantages. According to the invention the cigarettes are caused to pass beneath one or more strips of leather or other suitable material mounted on stationary supports extending along the inside of the sieve from one end to the other so that as the sieve rotates the cigarettes are carried beneath the material which presses them against the inner surface of the sieve and thus opens out the paper and wipes the tobacco off it. The strips are preferably composed of a number of tongues arranged side by side and, if desired, they can be pressed against the sieve by suitable springs, the pressure or" which can be adjusted. When the sieve is rotated the strips are held stationary but the arrangement could be such that the sieve remains stationary while the strips are mounted in a rotating frame so that they sweep around the inside of the sieve. It sometimes happens that small pieces of paper pass through the perforations oi the sieve, with the tobacco, and to remove these a second sieve can be arranged beneath the rotating sieve. This sieve can be rocked in different directions.

It is also advisable to cut the cigarette paper in such a manner that the edges will not be turned into the tobacco while at the same time the tobacco will be loosened so that it will be more easily separated from the paper by the sieve. This can be effected by using cutters the edges of which are not sharpened to a knife edge but have a certain Width and are preferably formed with teeth like a saw. These cutters do not press the cut edges of the paper into the tobacco and, moreover, the teeth enter a short distance into the tobacco and tend to pull it out of the paper because they move at a much greater speed than the cigarette. A v

further advantage consists in the fact that the cutters do not require to be sharpened. An especially suitable cutter consists of a cylindrical body having pins secured around its periphery and this cutter can be manufactured very cheaply as the pins which are already used with the known picker rollers are suitable for the purpose. It is usual to employ a number of cutters mounted on a single shaft and, according to the invention, a suitable number of cutters can be readily formed by a cylinder similar to the known picker roller having the pins secured in rows around its periphery.

The rotating cutters are usually enclosed by a cover to protect the operator from injury. g

As the cutters rotate at a very high speed they act as a fan and cause a draught which blows the tobacco dust out of the machine. This can be prevented by providing guide plates on the inside of the cover to direct the flow of air to suitable openings in the sides of the cover. Pipes can be arranged to lead from the openings to any suitable point and, if desired, bags can be removably secured to the ends of the pipes to receive the tobacco dust.

The sieve and the cutters can be conveniently assembled in a suitable frame to form a complete machine in which the cigarettes are first cut open and then drop automatically into the sieve where the tobacco is removed from the paper.

A constructional example of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which:-

Figure l is a side View showing the sieve and the cutting apparatus combined to form a single machine.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the machine.

Figure 3 is a front end View with parts of the driving mechanism omitted for clearness.

Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the cutting apparatus.

Figure is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of Figure l, with parts omitted for the sake of clearness.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the cutting apparatus.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail View of the wiping strips.

Figure 8 is an enlarged. detail view of the rear part of the cover, turned back to show the blades for directing the air draught.

In the drawings the sieve 1 and the cutting apparatus 2 are mounted on a frame 3 and driven by a main drive 4 through gearing comprising the belt 5 for driving the cutters at a high speed, a sprocket 6, fast on the main shaft, for rotating the sieve and driving the band 7 for conveying the cigarettes to the cutters.

The sieve is driven by a chain 8 and a belt 9. The sieve is shown as a hexagonal drum provided at each end with a flat circular ring 10 having a flange 11. It is supported on the frame 3 by grooved rollers 12 which are journailed on the frame and engage the flanges 11 so that the sieve can be rotated by the belt 9 which passes round the ring 10 at one end of the sieve. The sieve is arranged to slope down from the front end of the machine to the rear end.

Arranged along the inside of the sieve are two strips of material 13, each composed of a number of tongues 14 secured side by side on bars 15 supported by rods 16 the ends of which extend beyond the ends of the sieve and are rigidly secured to brackets 17 on the frame 3. The tongues 14 are pressed against the sieve by springs 18 arranged behind them and secured to the bars 15. The strips 13 need not extend throughout the whole length of the sieve but can be arranged at any desired parts along it.

Arranged beneath the sieve 1 is a second sieve 19 in the form of a tray supported by chains 20 surrounded by springs 21 which press the sieve 19 downwards. This sieve 19 is oscillated in a horizontal plane by a crank 22 driven by a belt 23 from the main drive. The sieve is preferably arranged to slope downwards towards the rear end of the machine and any suitable receptacle can be placed under it to receive the tobacco as it falls through the perforations.

The cutting apparatus is mounted on the frame 3, above the sieve, and comprises the drum 24 having rows of pins 25 which form the actual cutters. The drum is secured on a shaft journalled in suitable bearings at the side of the machine and driven at a high speed, in the direction of the arrow A, by the belt 5. The cigarettes are conveyed to the cutters by the conveyor band 7 which passes round a drum 28, arranged below the cutters, and a drum 29 secured to a hollow shaft 30 mounted to turn on the shaft of the main drive 4. The drum 29 is rotated to move the conveyor band in the direction of the arrow B by a chain 31 which passes around a sprocket wheel 32 on the shaft 30 and an idle sprocket wheel 33 loosely mounted at the rear of the machine. This chain 31 passes over a sprocket wheel 34 driven by the chain 8. The cigarettes are guided to the cutters by bars 35 secured to a cross bar 36 arranged above the band 7. The ends of the bars 35 are cut away beneath the cutters, as shown at 37, and between the bars are arranged leaf springs 38 which press the cigarettes against the band 7. The ends of the springs 38 extend beneath the cutters and are provided with slots 39 through which the cutting edges pass to cut open the cigarettes while the portions 40 of the springs press against the cigarette paper and tend to open it out after it has been cut. The cut open paper and the tobacco then pass over the drum 28 and fall against a guide plate 41 which directs them into the end of the sieve.

The cutter drum is preferably provided with adjusting screws 42 for adjusting its position with respect to the band 7. The drum 28 is preferably provided with adjusting screws 43 for keeping the band 7 tightly stretched. The upper portion of the band can also be supported a plate 44 secured to the frame 3.

Thecutters are usually enclosed by a cover and in the drawings this cover is shown as consisting of two side pieces 45 adapted to be bolted to the frame 3, and a hinged cover plate consisting of a rear part 46 and a front part 47 which are also hinged together at 48. Journalled in the sides 45 is a roller 49 which is arranged to engage the cigarettes between the bars 35. This roller is rotated, to assist in feeding the cigarettes to the cutter, by a sprocket wheel 50 driven by a chain 51 from a sprocket wheel 52 on the shaft of the drum 24. This roller 49 also serves as a hinge for the top of the cover.

As the cutters rotate at a high speed they draw the air from the space beneath the front part 47 of the cover into the space behind the cutters and thus create a pressure beneath the part 46 which blows the tobacco dust out through the spaces between the bars 35 where the cigarettes enter the cover and, at the same time, reduces the speed at which the cigarettes enter the cover. To prevent this the interior of the rear part 46 can be provided with blades 53, arranged to turn the current of air towards the sides of the cover, and a curved plate 54 which extends close up to the drum 24 cf the cutter and is provided with notches 55 to permit the passage of the pins 25. The space between the top of the cover and the cutters may be reduced by a plate 56 which extends close to the drum 24 and is provided with notches 57 for the passage of the pins 25. Outlet pipes 58 are provided in the sides 45 of the cover to convey the air and tobacco dust to removable bags 59 which may be similar to the receptacles used with the known vacuum cleaners. 1

The cigarettes are placed on the band 7 by hand or by any other suitable means and are carried along between the bars 35 and under the roller 49 which prevents more than one cigarette passing through each space between the bars 35 at the same time. beneath the cutters so that the edges formed by the ends of the teeth, for example, the ends of the pins 25, cut through the paper. The cutters rotate at a high speed and the pins 25 engage the tobacco and loosen it from the paper.

The blades 53 and the curved plate 54 direct the flow of air to the pipes 58 and the tobacco dust carried with the air is deposited in the bags 59.

The cigarettes are thus carried 3:7:

The cut paper and the tobacco pass over the -'i drum 28 and are guided by the plate 41 into the rotating sieve 1. Some of the tobacco falls through the perforations of the sieve 1 into the sieve 19 while the paper, with the remaining tobacco, is carried by the sieve beneath the wipers 13 which press the paper against the surface of the sieve and separates the tobacco from it. The paper and tobacco are carried over the upper wiper and fall back on to the bottom of the sieve l where the loose tobacco falls through into the lower sieve 19. This operation is repeated as the paper travels along the sieve to the rear end of the machine until all the tobacco has fallen through the sieve. The paper passes out at the rear end of the sieve into any suitable receptacle from which it can be removed by a suction fan or any other suitable means.

The shaking movement imparted to the sieve 19 causes the tobacco to fall through into any suitable receptacle placed beneath it while any pieces of paper, which may have fallen into the sieve 19, travel to the rear end where they can be removed through spaces at the side provided for this purpose.

It will, of course, be understood that instead of rotating the sieve the ends of the members supporting the wipers can be secured to a frame and this frame rotated while the sieve remains stationary.

What I claim is:-

l. A machine for taking tobacco out of cigarettes comprising a rotating cutter, a cover enclosing the cutter and plates arranged inside the cover for directing the draught caused by the rotation of the cutter to openings in the side of the cover.

2. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising a slitter mechanism, means for successively feeding cigarettes to said slitter mechanism, an inclined hollow open-end rotating sieve, said sieve being angular in cross section, and means for conveying the cigarettes from the slitter mechanism to the sieve, in combination with a plurality of stationary supporting members extending from end to end through the interior of said sieve adjacent the inner face thereof, means disposed exteriorly of said sieve for mounting said supporting members, a plurality of series of strip-form independent flexible wiping elements respectively mounted on said supporting members and extending substantially parallel to the adjacent portion of the inner face of said sieve and extending peripherally of said sieve in the direction of rotation thereof, said wiping elements being disposed closely adjacent the corresponding opposed portions of the inner face of said sieve, and a plurality of series of spring elements respectively mounted on said supporting members and corresponding in number to, and respectively pressing toward said sieve, the flexible wiping elements.

3. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising a slitter mechanism, means for successively feeding cigarettes to said slitter mechanism, an inclined hollow open-end rotating sieve, and means for conveying the cigarettes from the slitter mechanism to the sieve, in combination with a stationary supporting member extending from end to end through the interior of said sieve, means disposed exteriorly of said sieve for mounting said supporting member, a plurality of strip-form independent flexible wiping elements mounted on said supporting member and extending substantially parallel to the adjacent portion of the inner face of said sieve and in the direction of rotation thereof, said wiping elements being disposed closely adjacent the corresponding opposed portions of the inner face of said sieve, and a series of spring elementsmounted on said support ing member and corresponding in number to, and respectively pressing toward said sieve, the saidflexible wiping elements.

4. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising a slitter mechanism, means for successively feeding cigarettes to said slitter mechanism, an inclined hollow open-end rotating sieve, said sieve being angular in cross section, and means for conveying the cigarettes from the slitter mechanism to the sieve, in combination with a stationary supporting member extending into the interior of said sieve adjacent a portion of the inner face thereof, means disposed exteriorly of said sieve for mounting said supporting member, a plurality of strip-form independent flexible Wiping elements mounted on said supporting member and extending substantially parallel to the adjacent portion of the inner face of said sieve and in the direction of rotation thereof, said wiping elements being disposed closely adjacent the corresponding opposed portions of the inner face of said sieve, and a series of spring elements mounted on said supporting member and corresponding in number to, and respectively pressing toward said sieve, the said flexible wiping elements.

5. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising an inclined hollow open-end rotating sieve of angular cross section, in combination with a stationary supporting member extending longitudinally in the interior of said sieve adjacent the inner face thereof, and a plurality of strip-form independent flexible wiping elements mounted on said supporting members and extending closely adjacent to and substantially parallel to the adjacent portion of the inner face of said sieve and in the direction of rotation thereof, said wiping elements yieldingly pressing toward the opposed portion of the inner face of said sieve.

6. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising an inclined hollow open-end rotating sieve, in combination with a stationary supporting member extending into the interior of said sieve adjacent the inner face thereof, a flexible wiping element mounted on said supporting member and located adjacent the opposed portion of the inner face of said sieve and extending peripherally of said sieve in the direction of rotation thereof, and yielding means acting on said supporting member and said wiping element to press the latter toward the adjacent portion of the opposed inner face of said sieve.

'7. A machine for recovering tobacco from defective cigarettes, said machine comprising a hollow open-end rotating sieve, in combination with a stationary supporting member extending into the interior of said sieve adjacent the inner face thereof, and a flexible wiping element mounted on said supporting member and yieldingly pressing toward the opposed adjacent portion of the inner face of said sieve and extending peripherally of said sieve in the direction of rotation thereof, said wiping element being disposed closely adjacent the corresponding opposed portions of the inner face of said sieve.

8. A rotating cutter or slitter device for longitudinally slitting or opening filled tubular paper articles, said device comprising a drum, said drum having one or more sets of pins secured in the periphery thereof so that all the pins of each set lie in the same plane perdendicular to the axis 10. A machine for recovering tobacco from de-- fective cigarettes, said machine comprising a driven slitter device, guide means for directing cigarettes lengthwise to said device, and means for successively moving cigarettes through said guide means to said device, in combination with a leaf spring having a bifurcated free end for pressing on each said cigarette on opposite sides of the slitter simultaneously with the slitting operation to facilitate said slitting operation and to partially open and spread out the resultant slitted cigarette.

OSCAR LEGG. 

